would it be as special if it happened every day?

"Well, it wouldn't be as special if it happened all the time."

This was my reply a couple of days ago when my son was lamenting the conclusion of the Winter Olympics. It had occupied our attention for two weeks worth of evenings, just as it had in my own family growing up. We celebrated with the winners, we cheered on those who were "off the podium," we shed some tears at the unexpected death at this Olympiad as well as the touching human interest stories that peppered each broadcast. It was sad to see it end.

So my son said, "I wish the Olympics kept going."

And I said, "Well, it wouldn't be as special if it happened all the time. It only comes every four years, which makes it all the more exciting and special!"

Now I'm left wondering about my statement. Yes, thank goodness for those special occasions and markers in life that stand like cairns, reminding us where we've been, where we are, and where we might be heading with a next step on the path. Thank God for those serendipitous surprises that catch us off guard with their unusual bliss.

Yet, it makes me wonder about how much I value the special, the rare and the unusual more than the "ordinary."

Why do we value the diamond more than the piece of gravel sitting on our driveway?

Why do we sometimes live in anticipation of those special days marked on our calendars and try to survive and slog through the rest?

This moment, this one finger-pressing-down-on-the-keypad-click-and-then-letter-appearing-on-screen moment, is just as rare and special, just as much of a here-then-gone-gift, as any other. How do we learn to treasure this, too?